Ross Miller
Articles by Ross Miller
Adéu, Barcelona: Mobile World Congress 2011 is over
We've still got a handful of posts in the pipeline, but with the gates closed and everyone in the air heading back to their respective homes, our adventures at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona have come to a close. The good news is we can return to our regular four of hours of sleep each night (a figure that was cut in half this week). The bad news is the heartache of leaving behind gorgeous scenery and delicious paella. Take a look at some of our highlights below! Microsoft Microsoft shows off WP7's future with multitasking, Twitter integration, and IE9, all coming this year Windows Phone 7's multitasking uses zoomed-out cards to check on your apps Microsoft Rally Ball demo shows Windows Phone 7, Kinect, Xbox Live living in perfect harmony (video) Windows Phone 7 update with copy and paste, CDMA support coming in 'early March' See the new Windows Phone 7 features in motion (video) Live from Steve Ballmer's MWC 2011 keynote! Nokia The Engadget Interview: Nokia CEO Stephen Elop talks Microsoft, Symbian, MeeGo, and Windows Phone Debunk: Elop never said Microsoft is paying Nokia billions of dollars to use Windows Phone The Engadget Interview: Microsoft's Aaron Woodman talks Windows Phone 7 and Nokia Nokia: 'Our first priority is beating Android' Nokia hints we'll see first Windows Phone 7 device this year Live from 'An Evening With Nokia' at MWC 2011! HTC HTC launches 1.5GHz, 7-inch Android 2.4 Flyer into the tablet wars (update: hands-on video!) HTC Flyer vs. Galaxy Tab vs. iPad... fight! A closer look at the HTC Flyer's screen, stylus, and Scribe HTC refreshes Android lineup with Incredible S, Desire S and Wildfire S (update: hands-on) HTC Incredible S, Desire S, and Wildfire S video hands-on HTC Salsa and Chacha bring the dedicated Facebook button to Android (update: eyes-on) Samsung Samsung Galaxy S II official: dual-core 1GHz CPU, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus, coming this month (hands-on with video) Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 official: Tegra 2, Honeycomb, dual cameras (hands-on with video) T-Mobile Galaxy S 4G hands-on Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 preview (video) Samsung Galaxy Ace, Gio, Fit, and mini gather for a mega hands-on Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. LG G-Slate -- battle of the Tegra 2 Honeycomb tablets Google Eric Schmidt: 'We certainly tried' to get Nokia to use Android Next version of Android will combine Gingerbread and Honeycomb, arrive on a six-month cycle Google demos Android Movie Studio for Honeycomb Live from Eric Schmidt's MWC 2011 keynote Google's MWC 2011 Android booth tour LG LG Optimus Pad first hands-on! (video) LG Optimus 3D hands-on Android-powered LG Revolution caught streaming Netflix at MWC (video) Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. LG G-Slate -- battle of the Tegra 2 Honeycomb tablets Sony Ericsson Sony Ericsson Xperia family portrait at MWC 2011 Sony Ericsson Xperia Play MWC 2011 hands-on! (updated with video) Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro first hands-on! (updated with video) Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc preview (video) Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo first hands-on! (updated with video) Live from Sony Ericsson's MWC 2011 press event!
Live from Eric Schmidt's MWC 2011 keynote
Ballmer and Elop were quite the pair during the Microsoft keynote yesterday, so let's say the bar's been set pretty high for Eric Schmidt. But that's fine, the now-former CEO of Google has a knack for lively (if not downright controversial at times) speeches. This is the first time we've seen him talk since he stepped away from Babysitter (his words) to Executive Chairman, and the Android of today is a few flavors improved from the 2.1 Eclair that had launched a little before his MWC 2010 keynote -- so needless to say, we're excited for what he has to say today. We'll be reporting live from Fira, so stay tuned -- the fun should start around 11:45AM ET!
Qualcomm unveils next-gen Snapdragon family, including quad-core 2.5GHz CPU
Not one to let the name Snapdragon down, Qualcomm's gone and announced a much faster generation of the processor family, with speeds up to 2.5GHz per core. The multi-core (one, two, and four) 28nm chipsets, codenamed Krait, will feature WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, and FM, support NFC and stereoscopic 3D video / photo (capture and playback), and also boast multi-mode LTE modem integration. Qualcomm claims a performance increase of 150 percent and a power consumption drop of 65 percent over current ARM-based CPU cores. Included is a new Adreno 320 GPU with support of up to four 3D cores. Samples for the dual-core MSM8960 will be available in second quarter this year, while single-core MSM8930 and quad-core APQ8064 (for "computing and entertainment devices" -- i.e. tablets) versions are coming early 2012. The power-crazed products housing these chipsets? You'll have to wait even longer to see those.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play MWC 2011 hands-on! (updated with video)
We've spent extensive time with our prototype of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, but how's it feel to use the real, near-finished model? Quite a bit better, actually. The phone looks identical, to be sure, but the hinge is much sturdier. The speaker quality has gone up, too, although in the crowded room it was much too noisy to really make a solid judgment call there. The screen attracts fingerprints like no other, but it's basically on par with other Xperia models. Its skinned Android Gingerbread UI was snappier, to be sure, and the customizations obviously a lot more complete, but really our biggest concern here was the games. (Check out our Pro, Neo, and Arc previews for more thoughts on the interface.) We were able to play three titles: Star Battalion, FIFA, and Asphalt. All were found via the applications pane amongst all the other software, but they were also highlighted by the eponymous Xperia Play app. (There was additionally the infamous PlayStation Pocket app, but more on that later.) The former title, very much a StarFox ripoff, had tight controlling via both the gamepad and optional accelerometer option. The trackpads wasn't supported, however, but when we swapped over to FIFA, we found the left "pad" could be used for moving the player. Though definitely usable, it felt rough under our thumbs and we couldn't smoothly slide about as we would with an analog nub. It is large enough to do varying degrees of a direction like an analog stick, but you won't really be fine-tuning your shot so much. The indents work really well to help gauge your thumbs' position without having to look down. Both titles took quite a while to load, crashing a few times in the process; we were told multiple times this was largely due to early software. Multiplayer was not an option at the show, but we did make it through Asphalt far enough to notice it was being run still by Gameloft and not via Sony servers. As for Xperia Play (the app), we couldn't help but notice the Get More Games section, no matter how simple, does a much better job at highlighting individual games than the Android Market currently does. The PlayStation Pocket app on most demo units was as barren as our own model, but we found at least one running Crash Bandicoot for PS One (the "legendary pre-installed title," as referenced in the press conference) at a smooth 60 frames per second. To compensate for only two L and R triggers, the settings menu offers six different button layouts where you can use the trackpads as secondary shoulder buttons (which prevents their use as analog nub replacements) or have L2 / R2 on screen virtually. Thankfully, jumping out of the app saves the game's state, and you can return by clicking on the app. An additional confirmation screen confirms you're really ready to play, which though we can see being a nuisance to some, will be welcome to others who often mis-click. The rep told us no multiplayer, but still you can toggle between the game pad being seen as controller one or two. We also heard that the PS One library will likely be rolled out on a weekly basis and not be available all at once. What we needed to convince us of the Xperia Play's viability as a game platform was the games itself, and we will say that Sony and SE are doing well to assuage our concerns there. The form factor is still sleek despite the slide-out gamepad, which feels great to use. The initial PlayStation Suite launch line up is... promising, but we hesitate to give it higher marks without more flagship original titles. What it'll take to attract more developers is a larger reach for the platform, which ironically will take more PlayStation Certified devices -- and as for when that'll happen, no one's saying yet. We'll have hands-on video of the Xperia Play later tonight; meanwhile, find hands-on pictures of the phone (and dock!) in the gallery below! Update: Fleshed out impressions, and video after the break! %Gallery-116439%%Gallery-116462%
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo
Sony just broke out it's latest and greatest Android device, the Neo. The device is able to plug into your HDTV via HDMI and can be controlled with a standard remote. The 3.7-inch screen on the device sports a healthy resolution of 854 x 480 and uses Sony's Bravia graphics engine. The phone has a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash (and a 2 megapixel front-facing camera), and will be available in an array of colors (silver, red, and blue). We're getting more info right now, so stay tuned! %Gallery-116430% Check out our Sony Ericsson liveblog and read the full press release and specs list after the break!
Live from Sony Ericsson's MWC 2011 press event!
It's really no secret what Sony Ericsson plans to show off at its MWC 2011 press conference -- leaks notwithstanding, the Xperia Play (aka PlayStation Phone) was unveiled and made quite official in a Super Bowl commercial. We're about to see it presented all over again, but we'll also get a chance to see what else the company has up its sleeve... and under its thumbs, of course. The event kicks off 6PM local time (that's noon ET), so join us promptly, won't ya?
We're live at Mobile World Congress 2011!
Que parles català? Que parles smartphones? The former question we pose to ourselves on the ground, relegated to making wild hand gestures when asking for directions. The latter question, well... ready or not, we're about to inundate your retinal receptors with all the mobile news that's fit to print, post, transmit, download, and address in a stamped envelope delivered on horseback. The Engadget crew has touched down in gorgeous Barcelona, Spain, and is gearing up for a week covering Mobile World Congress, starting tomorrow with a trifecta of afternoon events from the likes of Sony Ericsson, Samsung, and Nokia. Stay tuned to the "MWC2011" tag for all your coverage needs, or just keep it locked on Engadget -- trust us, you won't be able to miss it.
HTC to debut Android phone with dedicated Facebook button that doubles as Winklevii irritant
Do you know how much time is lost having to jump out of an application to click on the Facebook icon (or widget) on your home screen? That 0.4 seconds, when done hundreds of times each and every day (assuming you ever leave the Facebook screen in the first place) can really add up -- precious time you could spend updating your status and liking your girlfriend's brother's Business Cat wall post. INQ figured it out, and HTC may have found a way to restore those precious seconds, as well. According to The Financial Times, the company plans to introduce an Android device with a dedicated Facebook button (note: not a "Facebook phone"). We wouldn't expect anything crazy out of the clicker, however, as the dream crushers known currently as "people familiar with the device" say its purpose is to take you to the Facebook front page -- if you want something more. HTC is expected to introduce it this month, and if we were betting folk, we'd say that meant Mobile World Congress next week.
HP TouchPad vs. iPad vs. Xoom vs. PlayBook: the tale of the tape
At last, the webOS-empowered TouchPad, HP's answer to the growing tablet market. And make no mistake, it's coming in with guns blazing -- specs-wise, the slate stands up pretty well to the competition currently in play (e.g. iPad) and the other up-and-comers not quite out the gate (e.g. Motorola Xoom and BlackBerry PlayBook). Stacked side-by-side, it's clear Apple's entry is lacking a bit in both memory (256MB vs. 1GB for everyone else) and front-facing camera -- not that we expect that to be the case for all of 2011. When it all comes down to it, what'll set these slates apart will be the platforms and software themselves -- should make for an interesting summer, no? In the meantime, for the nitty-gritty on technical specifications, venture past the break.
HP Pre 3: 1.4GHz Qualcomm CPU, 3.6-inch WVGA, coming this summer (video)
The first Pre breathed new life into Palm. The Pre 2, on the other hand, didn't exactly have the same luster and longevity. Here's to a decidedly Palm-less round three. The QWERTY slider with the all-too-familiar form factor has a 3.6-inch 800 x 480 display (a marked improvement over past Pres), 5 megapixel camera with AF and LED flash, 720p HD video, a front-facing camera for video calling, mobile hotspot, and webOS 2.2. Under the hood? A Qualcomm MSM 8x55 CPU running at 1.4GHz (!), 802.11a/b/g/n 5GHz, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, A-GPS, a 1230 mAh battery, HSPA+ and EVDO Rev A -- yep, it's a world phone -- and the same RAM as the Pre 2 (that's 512MB DRAM). It'll be Touchstone compatible, naturally, and will switch to Exhibition mode when docked to show pictures and upcoming appointments. There's some interesting synergy going on where the TouchPad tablet can take Pre 3's phone calls, and just touching the two devices together will let you share URLs (aptly titled touch-to-share). This one's gonna keep you waiting, though -- availability is this summer with both 8GB and 16GB storage options. Update: HP Pre 3 first hands-on! | Palm Pre 2 vs. HP Pre 3: what's changed? %Gallery-116083% %Gallery-116094% For more on all of HP's webOS announcements today, click here!
PS3 'jailbreak code' retweeted by Sony's Kevin Butler, no punchline needed
Oh, honey. Sony PlayStation's (entirely fictional) Kevin Butler holds many (also fictional) positions within the company, but apparently none of them require him to keep up with (very real) news events. Travis La Marr (aka @exiva) tweeted the now-infamous PS3 METLDR root key towards Butler with the challenge to "Come at me." What's a spokesperson to do but confuse it for a Battleship reference and retweet the entire code? Obviously someone let him in on the joke, as the tweet's since been removed (original URL can be found as More Coverage below). At least Sony won't have to subpoena for his info here. Geohot, we hope you're laughing. Update: As Digital Foundry points out, this sequence actually refers to the USB dongle ID generator key, also used for PS3 security circumvention. [Thanks, Scott M]
Dell expands business lineup with new Latitudes, OptiPlex desktops, and Precision workstations (update: eyes-on)
Lest we forget, Dell is a major enterprise player, and today's truckload of new hardware announcements should further solidify that notion in your brain matter. There are 24 new "business computing solutions" in all, but to paint a broader picture... lots of laptops and desktops. On the mobile front, the Latitude E5000 series (E5420 and E5520 for the budget-conscious professional, start at $859) and "business rugged" E6000 series (E6220, E6320, E6420, and E6520 ATG) boast the Intel's 2nd generation Core ships, backlit keyboard, and "Latitude commonality" across 26 models. There's also talk of the 12.1-inch Latitude XT3 convertible tablet, but details are sparse beyond that. Mobility not a concern? New OptiPlex desktops (990, 790, and 390; starts at $650) have the Intel vPro processor and small footprints. The Precision T1600 workstation, which has 2nd-generation Intel Core / Xeon processors and AMD / NVIDIA graphics, starts at $840. Interests piqued? We know we're glossing over a lot of the more business-y details, so if you're inclined to find out more, press release after the break. Update: We got our eyes on those mean business machines at a San Francisco event, and found that the Precision workstation replacement laptops pull a neat trick -- they've got dual-digitizer multitouch screens for both pen and finger input. That should help to make up for the fact that they look (and weigh) like bricks. See all the exposed ports in our gallery below! %Gallery-115992% %Gallery-115960%
HTC to invest $40 million into OnLive to help with games on smartphones
Let's be fair, for a company that pulled in NT$14.59 billion (about $500 million in US currency) in net profit last fiscal quarter, $40 million isn't exactly a huge chunk of change. But the recipient of HTC's money this go around is mighty interesting: cloud gaming experts OnLive. Said company spokesperson Maggie Cheng via Wall Street Journal, this will "strengthen its gaming capabilities and help HTC tap into increasing demand for games on smartphones" -- yep, smartphones. HTC also announced it has acquired London-based Saffron Digital for about $48.6 million, although it said the buyout shouldn't affect deals with its current content partners including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG, and Samsung. We don't think the OnLive investment will stop the cloud gaming company from pushing its way onto as many platforms as (in)humanly possible, but we'd be lying if we said we didn't expect HTC's versions to be even grander in scale and performance.
Steve Ballmer looking for a few good engineers for Microsoft management?
Bloomberg's heard a couple whispers that Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer is looking to fill senior product executive roles with engineers. In other words, people who can really understand the products they're planning, pushing, and promoting -- a smart move, if it comes to pass. An announcement could reportedly be made as early as this month alongside a Courier resurgence. (Okay, not really, but let us dream a bit.)
Samsung announces PL20 and ES80, brings 2011 pocket camera lineup to 12 total
Brace yourself, Samsung has new point-and-shoots to fill in what little pockets of consumerism weren't intrigued by any of the company's five CES shooters... or even the five more announced just weeks later. First up is the PL20 (pictured left). A 14 megapixel CCD sensor, 27mm wide angle lens, 5x zoom, digital image stabilization, 720p 24fps HD video with Smart Filters. That one comes out in March for a penny under $120, with a choice of silver, pink, black, and tomato red (Sammy's description). For the ES80, subtract two megapixels from the sensor, nix the HD recording, keep the color options, bump the release date one month, and subtract $20. You get the idea. Full details and press release after the break. %Gallery-115840%
Canon intros PowerShot SX-230, ELPH 100 / 300 / 500 HS
Eschewing the CCD of the past, Canon's new PowerShot lineup -- we know, it sounds like a familiar tune, but hear us out, these are new -- all boast a 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensors. The quartet enjoys the 12.1 megapixel HS (High Sensitivity) sensor, an improved variant of the ones introduced a year back with the S90 and G11. In fact, the ELPH nomenclature has nixed "digital," "SD," and "IS" in favor of the more simplistic (but still elongated) "ELPH HS." So without further ado, the PowerShot ELPH 500 HS features a 3.2-inch touch panel screen, 4.4x optical zoom, ultra-wide angle 24mm lens with optical image stabilization, and color options including siiver, brown, and pink. The ultra-slim ELPH 300 HS has a 2.7-inch LCD, image stabilization, 4x zoom and a 24mm wide angle lens. On the lower end of the spectrum, the 100 HS comes in five colors, has a 4x optical zoom, a 3-inch LCD, and a 4x optical zoom -- otherwise, it shares many features of its bigger 300 HS brother. Meanwhile, the (non-ELPH) SX230 HS has a 14x zoom, GPS, and a 3-inch LCD. Price and release date? All are due in March (the 100 HS in the beginning of March, the rest by the end), with the 100 / 300 / 500 HS going for $199.99, $249.99, and $299.99, respectively, and the SX-230 for $349.99. Peruse the pics below -- enjoy! %Gallery-115796%
Archos 70c color e-reader now up for pre-order stateside
What do you get when you cross the Atlantic ocean with the Archos 70b color e-reader? An alphabetical shift one place, it seems. The Android 2.1-powered book substitute with a 7-inch 800 x 480 TFT display has popped up for pre-order on JR.com. No picture (although we assume it's pretty much the same as the 70b), a $149.99 price tag, and no definitive release date. Resistive touch screen, 600MHz CPU, 4GB Storage, WiFi, SD slot, and a 10-hour untethered lifeline. Much cheaper than a Nook Color, but is still appealing amongst an even sweeter competition? That's your call.
Verizon iPhone now shipping to select customers: 'it begins'
While pre-orders have been halted for the interim, several readers that got their credit card information in on time have been sent an email from Verizon alerting to an CDMA iPhone shipment en route to their residence of choice. FedEx doesn't seem to be tracking any of the orders just yet, but we'll check back tomorrow to be sure. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: We've seen our first FedEx tracking screen and the estimated delivery date is February 7th, a whole 72 hours before everyone else gets it. Thanks, Richard!
Sony posts $887 million net profit, PlayStation has strong holiday quarter
Sony had quite a good holiday during its third quarter for fiscal year 2010, posting a ¥137.5 billion (approximately US $1.68b) operating income. Year-over-year, however, it's actually six percent lower than Q3 FY09, with some blame attributable to a five percent stronger yen. Although sales were more or less the same in most divisions (with pictures and music seeing a more noticeable drop), operating income saw dramatic changes. Consumer, Professional and Devices dropped 47 percent to ¥26.8b ($327.3m), while Networked Products and Services (which includes the PlayStation brand) jumped a whopping 134 percent to ¥45.7b ($559.78). Looking at unit sales, Bravia sets were way up (7.9m units versus 5.4m in Q3 FY09), and video cameras, compact digital cameras, and PCs all saw moderate gains. PSP hardware took a pretty big hit, going from 4.2m last holiday to 3.6m this past quarter (the now-profitable PlayStation 3 saw a slight decline, 6.5m to 6.3m). Software-wise, though, both gaming machines saw a bump -- 57.6m (from 47.6m) for PS3 and 16.4m (from 15m) for PSP. The PlayStation 2, now almost 11 years old, actually had about the same 2.1m hardware unit sales YOY, though software took a pretty hard hit (from 11.2m to 5.3m). Sony's golden years console isn't going down without a fight -- then again, it might've been a different story had the company managed to add backwards compatibility to the PS3.
Apple to require in-app subscriptions for periodicals by March 31st, fine print still a bit fuzzy
We knew The Daily was to be just the first drop what's destined to be a flood of titles with in-app purchases for the iTunes store, but we weren't quite sure how hard Apple would be twisting the faucet -- until now, that is. According to The Wall Street Journal, Cupertino will reject any newspaper or magazine app that doesn't take subscription payments through the iTunes store. It doesn't have to be solely Apple's store -- developers can still sell through websites in addition to the mandated in-app option. (If you recall, this is the same issue that Sony Reader for iOS just faced.) There are a few big questions lingering out there: will the 70 / 30 revenue sharing apply? Does the "rejection" apply to apps already in the store like Amazon's Kindle? You bet your (virtual) bottom dollar we'll be finding out soon enough.